1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector which is attached to a connection object such as an FPC or a circuit board and adapted to be fitted to a mating connector, mounted on a surface of a mating connection object such as a circuit board, in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the mating connection object, thereby electrically connecting the connection object to the mating connection object, and in particular, this invention relates to the connector which uses, as its contacts, conductive contact points themselves provided on the connection object.
2. Description of Related Art
A connector system that electrically connects an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) or an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) (hereinafter collectively referred to as an “FPC”) as a connection object to a circuit board (hereinafter referred to as a “PCB (Printed Circuit Board)”) as a mating connection object is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-2007-200624 (Patent Document 1) or JP-A-2000-012129 (Patent Document 2).
According to the connector system disclosed in Patent Document 1, an FPC as a connection object is not provided with a connector and the FPC itself is fitted to a connector (as a matter of convenience, referred to as a “mating connector”), mounted on a surface of a PCB as a mating connection object, in a direction parallel to the surface of the PCB (hereinafter may also be referred to as a “horizontal fitting type”), thereby electrically connecting the FPC to the PCB. The mating connector comprises a frame member, an insulating elastic plate having a plurality of projections, and a presser plate and is complicated in structure. However, contacts in this mating connector are formed using a plurality of conductive contact points themselves formed on the PCB as the mating connection object.
The connector system disclosed in Patent Document 2 comprises a connector and a mating connector. The connector comprises an insulator which is attached to a free end of a flat cable, as a connection object, formed by integrating a plurality of coated wires, and a plurality of contacts fixed to the insulator. On the other hand, the mating connector comprises a frame member which is mounted on a PCB as a mating connection object. Contacts in this mating connector are formed using a plurality of conductive contact points (conductor pattern end portions) themselves formed on the PCB as the mating connection object. The connector attached to the FPC as the connection object is of the horizontal fitting type that is fitted to the mating connector in a direction parallel to a surface of the PCB as the mating connection object. The connector system disclosed in Patent Document 2 has the connectors on both the connection object and the mating connection object, respectively, and thus is complicated in structure as a connector system.
On the other hand, JP-A-H06-068940 (Patent Document 3) discloses a connector which is, as opposed to those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, adapted to be fitted to a mating connector, mounted on a surface of a mating connection object, in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the mating connection object (hereinafter may also be referred to as a “perpendicular fitting type”).
The connector disclosed in Patent Document 3 comprises a reinforcing plate bonded to one of plate surfaces (a rear surface in a fitting direction) of an FPC as a connection object. This reinforcing plate has engaging projections respectively protruding from its both sides.
A plurality of contacts in this connector are formed using a plurality of conductive contact points (conductor pattern end portions) themselves formed on the FPC as the connection object. Therefore, the connector is simple in structure.
The mating connector disclosed in Patent Document 3 comprises an insulator which is mounted on a PCB as a mating connection object, locking members each having an engaging hole and fixed to the insulator, and a plurality of contacts press-fitted into the insulator and adapted to be brought into pressure contact with the conductive contact points, as the contacts of the connector, of the FPC.
The connector is fitted to the mating connector in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the PCB as the mating connection object. The fitting state of the connector and the mating connector is maintained by engagement of the engaging projections of the connector with the engaging holes of the locking members of the mating connector. While the connector and the mating connector are fitted together, the contacts of the mating connector are in pressure contact with the conductive contact points, as the contacts of the connector, of the FPC so that conductive contact points of the PCB and the conductive contact points of the FPC are electrically connected to each other.
In the connector disclosed in Patent Document 3, the reinforcing plate holds the FPC having the conductive contact points as the contacts of the connector. Specifically, when the connector is fitted to the mating connector, the contacts of the mating connector are brought into pressure contact with the conductive contact points of the FPC. In this event, if the FPC, particularly a region where the conductive contact points are formed, is bent due to the pressing force of the mating connector so that its flat surface cannot be maintained, contact failure occurs between the conductive contact points of the FPC and the contacts of the mating connector. As a result, electrical connection between the connection objects is not established properly. Particularly in the case of a so-called multicore connector with many contacts, the pressing force of contacts of a mating connector becomes considerably large so that a reinforcing plate of the connector should have a correspondingly high strength. Accordingly, in the connector disclosed in Patent Document 3, the required strength is obtained by setting the thickness of the reinforcing plate to be fairly large.
On the other hand, the circumstances are such that miniaturization and lower profile of an electronic device such as a smartphone to which this type of connector is applied have been advanced more and more and thus that miniaturization, lower profile, and higher density mounting are required also for components, including the connector, of the electronic device. Under these circumstances, it is not preferable to increase the thickness of the reinforcing plate of the connector.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a connector of the perpendicular fitting type which is simple in structure and, in addition, which is small in size and low-profile.